sweethymns | OC POST

A) Midnight Grind

[ Lien Kha doesn't eat as much as her twin (clone) sister Ai Thao, but her appetite is healthy enough. Her light lunch of the day is delicious Croque Monsieur sandwich with a light salad and iced tea. Her eyes are glued to a large textbook... Which she's finished and is stacking it on top of other related texts and starting on a new one.

Is she actually reading it?]

B) Mysterious Apartment

[It's quiet in this urban area. Lien is standing outside an abandoned apartment complex, furrowing her brows. There's been a reported murder, but like most of her cases, the murder aspect isn't straightforward... She's walking around the perimeter, trying to find the entrance.]

Hm... And I haven't seen anyone come out yet...

... Maybe I should throw a rock at the window.

C) Wildcard/Other

[Something, something, happens.]

Edited 2019-04-01 02:00 (UTC)

I'm looking for someone.

[ Apropos of nothing, without warning or greeting.

It's a quiet day in the Grind when an unexpected visitor walks through its front door, shaking light afternoon drizzle from the brim of his hat. He's framed like a young man— gangly limbs, sharp edges— but he has the settled calm of someone twice his age. It's hard to place him: is he in his late teens? Early 20s?

Either way, Kei has one hand in his pocket, his broad shoulders tensed into a half-slouch; the other hand is fiddling with an outdated flip-phone, tracing its outlines with practiced concentration. ]

A young woman. Medium-cut hair, green eyes. Around 5 foot 6 or so.

[Lien blinks at the unexpected visitor who presents his conundrum. There aren't very many customers aside from a few others, plus herself. The others are ignoring the man since, hey, they know that Lien is the weird psychic PI here, not them.

She's drinking a peach strawberry tea with honey boba right now and she's kind of slurping them loudly. The caramel brown spheres go through the straw, making a soft popping sound before she releases her mouth from it and looks up at the guy.]

Right.

[She leans back, drink resting on her lap.]

Are we talking, lover, mother, sister, relative, friend, companion, or the other barista at this cafe?

[ Kei is a psychic PI too, in his own right, even if he'd be hard-pressed to call himself that. Being able to "talk" to machinery doesn't exactly qualify him as a psychic, he thinks— he's just weird, really.

He doesn't move to sit. Instead, he lingers by the table, flip-phone still turning against his palm. ]

Her brother's looking for her.

[ A missing person. A common job, but an important one. ]

She hasn't been home in a week.

Mm. Can't say I've seen someone of that description here in the past week... There are all sorts here that pass through, but those details probably wouldn't be enough.

[She crosses her arms exhaling through her nose as if thinking deeply.]

And even if she was, I think the owner and the employees would have met her instead...? Want me to ask?

[Noting the flip phone, Lien's blue eyes move from the older technology to Kei's face.]

Although I have a question of my own.

What's the date and time today?

Edited 2019-04-01 03:57 (UTC)

[ He's about to tell Lien that he can ask the others on his own, but the question is cause for hesitation. He scrutinizes her, eyes narrowing just a fraction, before he opens his mouth again.

The date he gives her is an approximation to the current date, but a year or so behind. The truth of the flipphone is that he's from Iceland, and he's not in the company of very affluent people, really. ]

Why do you ask.

[Lien is afflicted with the curse of bluntness. But to be fair, they are in a space where disbelief is quickly dismantled once a customer gets a hint that things are not what they seem.]

Well, you see sometimes this cafe gets all sorts so if you were like from the 80s or 90s or something, I wanted to see if I could blow your mind with my smart phone...

... But since this is obviously a semi-serious situation! [Lien, there's a missing person, it's 100% serious]

I guess it doesn't matter! I just thought you were some old man or something with that flip phone.

[Stoic, stolid—]

So that you can alert who’s in there to our presence?

[He stands, LED a steady blue, shoulders straight and expression placid. But there’s something utterly unimpressed in his tone, the uptick of a brow proof of that.]

I’m going to have to throw your investigative skills into question if you’re already having trouble finding the entrance. Do you require me to take over?

Listen.

[Her gestures are exaggerated as she swaggers and pats her chest proudly.]

I simply vocalize the most stupid ideas so that we're clear that I obviously won't do just that.

[usually]

Anyways, this apartment is weird. I got a list of residents that used to live here with their room numbers from my sources, but apparently, they've been spotted coming in and out of the building.

Getting in would be our first priority and since you offered so nicely, I'll let you look first before I blow my brains out trying to look for a door.

[Whatever HE’S NOT BUYING YOUR EXCUSES.

But if she delegates the task to him, the better for it. “Nines”, as she calls him, believes he should be taking the reins in this operation, though the mission is technically hers; he is here to assist, though it’s hard for the android to not be a vocal backseat driver — ironic, given that he isn’t really programmed to be opinionated, only obedient and effective.]

We’ve tried to facade of the building, but since the front door is inaccessible— [Boarded up, debris blocking the way, requiring an exertion of strength that they analytically don’t possess between them to circumvent it] —we should move around to the side. There’s likely to be a fire escape that we can access from the alleyway.

[WALKING IN THAT DIRECTION without saying much more.]

Okie dokie.

[With her sing-song agreement, she follows after him, making long strides to match up to the taller android.]

Another detail about this case which you could probably deduce on your own if you scanned the names before me, but... A lot of these names are from people who are reported deceased or missing. Now I'm not saying it's gonna be ghosts, but we're working with some weird ass factors here.

Then the most logical — or at least the most straightforward explanation — is that they’re not deceased. Missing, maybe, but not for much longer if we can figure out just what’s really happening in this complex.

[He’s done his research, of course. Done cross-references, finding nothing substantial that would guide them elsewhere, other than some good ol’ fashioned sleuthing by foot.

Down the alleyway they go, darkened in shadow. As expected, a fire escape hangs above their heads a few yards down, rusted and questionably stable. Nines stands beneath it, craning his neck up, noticing the ladder currently out of reach.]

Here. I’ll lift you up.

[Neither of them are tall enough to manage it on their own.]

[Lien could make a smart remark about how their persons of interests being deceased is not out of the question (as a smart man once said, there was a difference between mostly dead and all dead), but she wisely decides not to split hairs about it, not until this case was resolved anyway.

Lien wrinkles her nose at the ladder that's out of reach, but at Nines' statement she looks over at him and immediately understands what he's getting at.]

Ah, good idea. Let me just...

[Lien readjusts her gloves and then stands beneath where the ladder is, gauging the distance needed to pull it down.]

Luckily for you, I'm not heavy. Whenever you're ready.

Lucky for you, I think you mean, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to enter at all. Consider that for a moment.

[Nines, the EAGER TO CORRECT android. Must be an integral part of that advanced programming.

Still, he crouches down, lacing his fingers together, palm outwards, to act as a foothold for her to step up. When she does, he pushes her weight upwards so that she can grab the ladder above.]

Unlatch it and kick it down.

Hey, if it was just me I would have figured something out eventually. It's different when there's a partner to bounce ideas off of.

[His eagerness to correct may be part of his program, but Lien can't help, but sarcastically think to herself that he sounds like he just wants to one-up her.

With little difficulty, she uses his hands as a foothold and once she's pushed up, the ladder is unlatched and then kicked down.]

Alright, we got our backdoor entrance. I'll go in first too.

[And up the ladder she goes.]

Don't let me slow you down or anything.

Edited 2019-04-08 14:42 (UTC)

[When the ladder drops down, Nines begins his climb with an ease trademark of an android. No sign of exertion, no stalling in his ascent — where physical activity is concerned, this is very easy, and it doesn’t take long for him to catch up to Lien, having to slow his movements so that he doesn’t bump up against her.]

Physically impossible when you’re in front of me like this.

[But he’ll follow, steadily, until their feet find purchase on the metal flooring of the fire escape.]

Do you have any working theories regarding what we might find inside?

Well...

[She makes another ascension to the floor above them, gauging the window. Lights inside are off and the air is still enough for her to deduce from the silence alone that there's no one inside. She touches the window to "read" it. Locked. Moving upwards again, she deals out her theories to Nines.]

The reported deceased, we have nothing to worry about. Those bodies have been or are in the process of being verified, including the reported murder victim. It's the reported "missing" that gives me pause... Especially since there have been sightings of those people around and they were never officially recorded as missing, to begin with.

Like, they were around, but no one noticed something was off until they realized that this apartment building was the link among those people.

So, I suspect, we'll find those particular individuals, but beyond that...

[A pause and she looks at Nines.]

What do you think? There doesn't seem to be a lot to work with, but you might have more solid theories too. I'd like to hear them.

[He follows, pausing where she pauses, sending out his own scans to judge the state of the building. It’s possible, of course, the break the windows and reach inside to unlatch the lock, but he’ll save that suggestion as a last resort.]

Given that the link existing between the deceased and the missing is this apartment building, I don’t suspect anything good. The degree of how bad remains to be seen, but I think it’s obvious with the frequent arrivals and departures — as reported by witnesses, at least — that there’s something in this complex worth hiding. Why else would anyone operate out of a place so rundown? Something was taking place here before it was in this state, I'm approximately ninety percent certain.

[Another floor up, and a window that’s opened by half an inch greets them. Nines stops at it, then reaches out to slide his fingers into the open space, then push upwards.]

Try here.

Don't mind if I do.

[Lien reaches inside the gap, groping for the latch to unlock the window. She's successful and pushes the window up further and then swings a leg and then both inside.]

... All clear. There's no one inside, but you can double-check for any heat signals in the immediate vicinity to clear any concerns.

[He follows after, all long limbs as he climbs over the window and into the apartment proper. He’s already doing what she’s suggested before she even has to say as much — a scan of the floor they’re on, reaching out as far as his sensors will allow, to confirm that there’s no one here.]

Confirming that there are no immediate heat signatures worthy of note, beyond your own.

[His don’t count, the inner workings of an android body giving off minimal energy/heat readings, compared to that of a human form.

He steps forward, taking in state of the apartment room they’ve found themselves in.]

We’re free to investigate without interruption for now.

Edited 2019-04-08 17:27 (UTC)

Work it is then! I'll see what I can compile at an initial glance.

[First off... The room is furnished and it looks like it belongs to a preteen. Already, there is a strangeness and unease that Lien is perceiving because the bedroom looks neat and tidy; not unusual in itself if the child was a tidy person or whoever lived in this apartment room had some help. She looks up at the posters decorating the all of some boy bands and some classic fantasy films.

Since Lien is wearing gloves, she traces some objects and the edge of the bed with her fingers and then picks up a clock, frowning. The time blinks 12:00 AM.

The last she checked, the time was approximately 11 PM. Someone had reset the clock deliberately. She's not completely reading it, but if her suspicions are correct, someone has been arranging things in this room so that they're in the exact same spots.]

Hey... Nines?

Have you ever been in an escape room before? Or you understand the basic concept of one?

Edited 2019-04-08 17:53 (UTC)

An escape room.

[He stops mid-step, then turns to look at her, arms clasped behind his back.]

An puzzle adventure game where various individuals confined in a single room attempt to find a way to leave, or “escape”, with the clues and objects provided to them within. No, I haven’t, but I’m familiar with the concept.

[Already, though, his gaze pulls towards the side; the oddity of this room, the clock set to the wrong hour, pieces seemingly arranged. A neat and tidy state; unusual for something so abandoned.]

Are you equating our surroundings to something similar? That would imply an expectation that there would be someone here to solve the presented puzzle.

The room we have here isn't a puzzle itself... Although that can change. What I'm saying is that this room has been reset. It's different from cleaning up because there's a degree of flexibility most people have when it comes to tidying their living space.

[Lien puts down the clock and immediately scans the room for any obvious cameras.]

When you reset an escape room or any game room, you need to put the clues and objects of relevance in the same locations. A well designed room makes it so that as the game progresses, your experience and unveiling of clues isn't entirely linear.

So, that's just my long winded train of thought about how it feels like someone's been playing house. We'll have to look around the rest of the other rooms to confirm my theory...

[She sports it, a small dull dot of light on the mirror.]

And we definitely have cameras all around. I think you'll be better at rooting those out and messing with those if you can so we can cover our tracks cause that's the only one I could spot so far.

[A reset. Given the state of the room, it can’t be denied, though neither can it be verified with what’s observable thus far.

If it weren’t for the spotted camera, at least, its lens glinting in the light from its nestled spot in the mirror.]

Hm.

[Nothing else, just another scan of the room, tweaked to unearth anything similar.]

I count five. The one you’ve found, one in the ceiling fan, another in the bookshelf, and two more on the rim of the above light fixtures. [He gestures at each one while he points them out, LED blinking.] Which lends credence to your theory, despite how strange it might sound. We’re missing the reasoning why, however, and how it connects to the relevant names on our list of missing persons.

Who would be watching? Can you use your abilities on the cameras and locate the origin point of our observer?

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psychometer - 2019-04-08 22:56 (UTC) - Expand

OC POST

Lien Kha | Psychometer

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